Autoblog

Audi's new Quattro Coupe may be Evoque-style CUV

George Kennedy — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Crossover, Rumormill

This is sad news, depending on how you look at it. According to UK magazine Car, Audi will not produce a road-going version of the terrific Quattro Concept, first seen at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Since its debut, we have driven it, we have loved it and now it seems we will not see a production version of it.

Apparently, Audi believes that the performance coupe market is reaching the point of saturation, with less room than ever for the concept that the car guy world seemed to excited to see.

That there will not be a production version of the Quattro Concept may not stop Audi from using the moniker to name a compact crossover, however. It would not be as tall as a normal CUV, rather Car predicts that it could take the form of a 2-door crossover, à la the Range Rover Evoque Coupe. Possibly to be named "Q-Coupe," potential motivation could be a five-cylinder turbo, sending power through an S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox to the eponymous Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Considering the recent rollout of Audi CUV concepts, such as the RS Q3 at the Beijing show and the Audi Crosslane Coupe in Paris, this is a real possibility. The Ur-Quattro itself rode higher off the ground than your standard sport coupe at the time. In that regard, a coupe/CUV would have more in common with the original than the ground-hugging Quattro Concept.

Hey, if Audi can make compact crossover coupe that tears up a dirt road with even a fraction of the gusto of the Ur-Quattro, as it dispatched rally stages, we would say, "job well done."

Audi's new Quattro Coupe may be Evoque-style CUV originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan refreshes Rogue crossover for 2011

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Nissan

2011 Nissan Rogue - Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Nissan Rogue is a getting a slight efresh when it goes on sale in mid-August. The most obvious external changes are a nose job that brings with it an eggcrate grille shaped more like the one on its bigger Murano sibling, along with new pockets around the foglamps that give the front a more sculpted appearance and revised front and rear spoilers. 18-inch wheels are also newly available for the SL and S Krōm Edition models. The exterior alterations strike us as subtle but handsome, particularly the new grille, which minimizes the odd 'chrome bucktooth' look of the 2010 model.

Perhaps the more important changes outside the vehicle are of the type that only James May would be likely to notice: spats in front of the wheels and a new underbody tray cut the aerodynamic drag and contribute to 1 mpg improvements in both the city and highway fuel economy numbers. The front-wheel-drive model is now EPA rated at 22/28 mpg while the all-wheel-drive variant manages 22/26 mpg. Inside, the Rogue doesn't look much different but does get upgraded entertainment systems.

The 2011 gets its first public showing this weekend at the annual Z Car Convention in Nashville, TN.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Rogue

[Source: Nissan]

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Nissan refreshes Rogue crossover for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva-bound Mitsubishi ASX coming to America this fall as Outlander Sport

Chris Paukert — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Mitsubishi

2011 Mitsubishi ASX/RVR/Outlander Sport

While we have known for some time that Mitsubishi will introduce a new compact crossover dubbed RVR in Japan and ASX in Europe, what we didn't know was what designation the car would carry when it hit North American showrooms. We do now. A source at Mitsubishi tells Autoblog that the inexpensive four-cylinder crossover will be called Outlander Sport, a nod to Mitsu's larger and more-established three-row Outlander CUV.

Astute carspotters will note that this isn't the first time that the Japanese automaker has used the 'Sport' moniker in this capacity, attached to the name of another more expensive and well-known model in its lineup. Back at the beginning of this decade, Mitsu marketed its Montero Sport (a vehicle that was eventually supplanted by the slow-selling Endeavor), a body-on-frame SUV that rode the coattails of the more established and luxurious Montero.

When the five-passenger Outlander Sport arrives in North America this fall, it will carry a Lancer-derived 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder backed by a CVT gearbox, and it will arrive with electronically controlled all-wheel drive. Other drivetrains remain a possibility, but the focus of the 2.0-liter setup will be fuel economy, with Mitsu engineers targeting a highway figure of 30 miles-per-gallon or better (the larger Outlander achieves a maximum of 25 mpg). A front-drive, six-speed manual model will be available in other markets, but its fate remains undecided for North America.

Pricing will be announced closer to launch, but we expect it to undercut the front-drive Outlander's MSRP of $21,605 (including destination) as it takes on vehicles like Nissan's Rogue and Hyundai Tucson. The new model will be revealed at next week's Geneva Motor Show.

Gallery: Mitsubishi ASX

Geneva-bound Mitsubishi ASX coming to America this fall as Outlander Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CONFIRMED: 2010 RDX peeks out on Acura website

Chris Paukert — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Acura

2010 Acura RDX - Click above for image gallery

Last week, we showed you a few photos of what looked to be the 2010 Acura RDX that had begun floating around the interwebs. A subsequent call to Acura confirmed that they were, in fact, the real deal. Now, without any fanfare, the updated compact crossover has appeared on the company's website, complete with specification changes and pricing.

As shown earlier, the RDX is indeed on the receiving end of the corporate shield grille rhinoplasty, and also gets new fog lamps and air inlets. The rear end has been cleaned up as well, with new hexagonal exhaust inlets with stylized cutouts and a mesh insert in the fascia's lower reaches.

The big news for 2010 is the availability of a front-drive version, which helps shed weight and parasitic drag to increase fuel economy. At an EPA estimated 19 miles-per-gallon city and 24 highway, the RDX still strikes us as behind the curve, but perhaps not as much as the (unchanged) 17/22 figures of the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) version.

Predictably, this least-complex RDX is also the cheapest, ringing up at $32,520 plus delivery. If you do want the foul-weather security of all-wheel drive, you'll have to pay a minimum of $34,520. Plump for the technology package (which includes traffic- and weather-linked sat-nav, premium Acura/ELS surround sound, and so on), you're looking at $35,620 in front-drive guise, and $37,620 for all-wheel drive.

We see no mention of streaming audio as hinted at earlier, but Bluetooth telephony is still part of the mix. Further, a rearview camera will come standard, even if one doesn't pony up for the Technology pack with navigation.

No matter which model you choose, the RDX continues to be motivated by the same turbocharged, intercooled 2.3-liter four-cylinder, giving 240 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm.

We'll keep our eyes peeled for an official press release and a full complement of high-res images, but for now, enjoy our screencap'd gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Trevor!

Gallery: 2010 Acura RDX

[Source: Acura]

CONFIRMED: 2010 RDX peeks out on Acura website originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2009: Nissan Qazana is so bizarre it almost looks French

Chris Paukert — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:13:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Nissan

We're just back from checking out the Nissan Qazana, and we're happy to report that it's every bit as zany as it looks in the stock images we saw seen earlier. In fact, it almost looks Gallic, like something from Citroen or Peugeot, or perhaps something reverse-engineered from a Paris-Dakar rally special. We're not entirely sure if (and/or how) the big-fendered, narrow-greenhouse look will translate to Nissan's planned production compact crossover, and we're quite sure that the rear-hinged suicide doors won't see showrooms when the Qashqai receives a kid brother. For now, we're enjoying its novel lighting (including the pair of crazy large front driving lamps and the fender-ridge daytime-running lamps, along with well-integrated boomerang taillamps) and red-velvet cake interior.

Gallery: Geneva 2009: Nissan Qazana

Continue reading Geneva 2009: Nissan Qazana is so bizarre it almost looks French

Geneva 2009: Nissan Qazana is so bizarre it almost looks French originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva Preview: Hyundai HED-6 to presage future Hyundai crossovers

Chris Paukert — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:38:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Hyundai, Rendered Speculation

Click above for a high-res image of the Hyundai HED-6 official rendering

Hyundai's first post-Joel Piaskowski concept will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month. And while the HED-6 compact crossover concept was likely fully realized before the designer bolted for Mercedes-Benz, the HED-6 was actually penned in the company's European Design headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

In any case, the HED-6 (you remember last year's HED-5 concept from Geneva, don't you?) is expected to preview future compact crossover designs for the Korean automaker, and it features pulled-back headlamps bookending a hexagonal grille, a "three-dimensional" sculpted backlight made from Lexan, LED daytime running lamps, and a surprisingly modest set of 21-inch alloy wheels (modest for a showcar, at any rate).

Hyundai promises to reveal more details at next month's show, but for now, we know that the HED-6 is motivated by a 175-horsepower 1.6-liter GDi turbocharged engine, suggesting a more frugal, direct-injection future for future Hyundai softroaders.

The HED-6 will take to the stand alongside Hyundai's new three-door i20 hatchback and the automaker's i30 blue, which is poised to get the company's first stop-start technology application. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Geneva Preview: Hyundai HED-6 to presage future Hyundai crossovers

Geneva Preview: Hyundai HED-6 to presage future Hyundai crossovers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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